1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) service, and more particularly to a preset recording method using an electronic program guide (EPG).
2. Description of the Related Art
DMB, which is an abbreviation of “Digital Multimedia Broadcasting”, is a service that provides various digital multimedia signals, such as voice and image, to a portable receiver or a receiver in a vehicle. Such DMB is classified into satellite DMB and terrestrial DMB, according to its transmission means. The satellite DMB provides program data to DMB terminals across a whole country by using a satellite radio, and the terrestrial DMB provides broadcasts by utilizing air-wave VHF channel Nos. 12 and 8.
Although the satellite DMB service and the terrestrial DMB service are individually provided at present, it is expected that both satellite DMB service and terrestrial DMB service will be provided through one combined DMB terminal in the future. In addition, such a combined DMB terminal is expected to perform even the general functions of a mobile communication terminal.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration for providing services to a DMB terminal.
A DMB terminal 100 is individually connected to a terrestrial DMB system 12, a satellite DMB system 13, and a mobile communication system 11 for supporting wireless data communication, such as a wireless broadband Internet (WiBro), so as to receive each service.
When receiving each DMB broadcast service from the terrestrial DMB system 12 and satellite DMB system 13, the DMB terminal 100 receives electronic program guides (EPGs) which are information about programs broadcasted by each broadcasting system.
Such EPGs are independently provided depending on each broadcast service.
Generally, the DMB terminal 100, which receives DMB broadcasts, includes a function of receiving and a function of outputting DMB broadcasts has and also includes a function of selecting and a function of recording a specific broadcast as requested by the user. There is an “instant recording” method for recording a broadcast by pressing a recording button while the user is receiving the broadcast, and a “preset (reserved) recording” method for recording a specific broadcast which is desired by the user and is received through a specific frequency at a preset time.
According to a procedure for setting up these recording functions, the instant recording is restricted to recording a broadcast which the user is currently viewing, and the preset recording requires selecting a separate menu and inputting information about a program to be recorded. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method for setting up recording which can be easily applied by users.
In addition, according to the preset recording method, since provided DMB broadcasts differ according to country areas and the DMB terminal 100 is mobile, an ensemble of available broadcast programming may change due to movement of the terminal even though the terminal has been preset to record a specific broadcast received through a specific frequency at a preset time. Then, a different DMB broadcast may be recorded, instead of a specific DMB program preset by a user through a preset recording function of the DMB. An ensemble is a time, frequency and other identifying information regarding a specific broadcast programming and is
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a case in which a DMB terminal moves from one area to a different area, with the conventional preset recording function enabled.
In detail, FIG. 2 illustrates a case where a terrestrial DMB terminal 200-1 located in a first broadcasting area 21 moves to a second broadcasting area 22 (see reference numeral 200-2) in a state wherein a preset recording function has been specified for a specific broadcast program of KBS, a video service included in an ensemble 1 of the first broadcasting area 21.
For example, when the DMB terminal is preset to 9:00 AM in CITY A (i.e., first broadcasting area) to record a KBS program to be broadcast at 6:00 PM, and then the DMB terminal moves to CITY B (i.e., a second broadcasting area) at 5:00 PM, it becomes impossible to record the KBS program preset by the user because the DMB terminal cannot receive the preset program in CITY B.
Particularly, in the case of the terrestrial DMB, since the preset specification for a given broadcast can differ depending on broadcasting areas, there is a problem in that a preset recording may be performed which is contrary to the user's intention, when the broadcasting area in which a preset recording was specified differs from the broadcasting area in which the preset recording occurs. That is, there is a problem in that a broadcast different from that preset by the user may be recorded, or no broadcast is recorded at all.
Therefore, it is necessary to develop a function which modifies an already specified preset recording to reflect the broadcasting location of the DMB terminal when the DMB terminal moves from one terrestrial DMB broadcasting area to a different terrestrial DMB broadcasting area.